United’s victory that night saw them crowned Premier League champions for the 20th time and it was van Persie’s first trophy in a United shirt. The former Arsenal and United player now plays for Turkish club Fenerbache and flew into town for the event.

After receiving his award, he said, "It's almost impossible to pick a winner. All of them are amazing. In my opinion it's very difficult to pick one. It's a huge honour. It's the hardest league in the world.”

He spoke about why he chose that particular goal against Villa as his nomination.

“I chose that goal because it was the first title I won and it was a huge moment for Manchester United," he said.

"On a goal like that you don't really think about it. You just want to make the most of it and see what happens. But you need a bit of luck as well. What I like about that goal is the whole story that was behind it."

In celebration of the occasion, the Dutchman made a personal donation of £20,000 to the charity.

Van Persie may not don the United shirt but the club’s official Twitter account was quick to offer their congratulations to their former striker.